Ragnarok's Passing
by AwesomelyWitchy
Summary: Skylar felt the world tip. For a moment, she was Ingrid again, and the world blurred out of focus around the child. It would seem, she concluded, that not even this new world would keep her from her Warden's Oath. She would have a Charge, and his name was Gon Freecss.
1. The Prologue

_The Prologue_

* * *

It's been said that a lot happens when you die. That your head fills with racing thoughts, flashbacks and wishes and longings. That you feel a rush of emotions, like a hurricane had taken root in your heart and stirred amok.

It's been said you see a light when you die, or you are choked by the darkness. Either the whispering breath of the angel's sigh or the hot sting of a demon's laughter will brush your ear right before you slip from your body.

But these were lies.

Or rather, none of these were the experience poor Ingrid had. She had quite the opposite of all, in fact. The angels and demons she knew to exist never appeared. No light, no darkness, no flashbacks or inner turmoil of past wrongdoings; just nothing. That was it. Absolutely nothing. One moment, she was. The next, she wasn't. And then she was again.

Ingrid didn't remember much of anything when she wasn't, just that it was cold and hollow and she couldn't cry. The nothing was brief, but left a deep, deep scar in her memory, greater than any agony she could ever recall. She didn't want to be nothing again.

When she was again it was bright and loud and she couldn't breathe. Something was wrapped tightly around her neck, and for some reason she knew that the tightness should be reason to panic. It was a brief squeezing, however, as the tension was suddenly cut away and air filled her like it never had before.

There was crying, an infant's squalling, filling the brightness with noise. It took a moment to realize the squall was Ingrid herself. Something plunged into each nostril and her mouth, clearing the strange, choking blockages. She was clear and loud and being passed by large hands, larger than her body almost. A pair of large but soft hands swaddled her in warmth. "Her name is Skylar." She heard. But that wasn't right. She was Ingrid.

"Now, now," a voice burned through the crying that she couldn't stop, "naughty child. Mustn't cheat the rules."

She was cold for a moment, so cold it stopped her crying. _'No no no no-'_ She couldn't speak, could barely breathe. The tiny, restrictive flesh of her infant body felt limp for a frightening heartbeat.

Before she knew it, she was no longer bound in infant flesh, but taller, older, more spacious. She was five, and her mother was holding her hand. Her mother? Yes, mother; yet not her mother. The woman had kind green eyes and curly brown hair, her smile brighter than the sun. Ingrid, now Skylar, knew this woman sitting before her was meant to be her mother, as she helped her shuck a table full of peas. But this was not the woman Skylar had known for her twenty-seven years to love and care for her. What was going on? Why was this woman her mother now? Why had she been an infant?

 _What happened to dying?_

* * *

Skylar's questions went unanswered until she was six, and her mother took her to school for the first time. She was a year older than her classmates in this tiny, barely - sizable school, a side effect of such a late start. Not that it had any bearing on Skylar's education; she knew how to read and write and knew mathematics and science beyond any seven year old's knowledge. She proudly still knew much from her years earning her ph.D and the research that followed. The problem was getting her tiny hands to correctly write.

(The letters were different now; they were sharper and harder edged than Skylar remembered them ever being, but she understood them just fine. She thought it peculiar but never addressed the strangeness to anyone else.)

In school she learned the world she was in now was far different from the one she knew. Gone were the five oceans and seven continents she had memorized so young, replaced with a new strange formation of landmasses. She had cried when she first saw the world map, to the distress of her teacher. She eventually contained herself, but the sorrow never quite left her after that.

Skylar took this information and in addition to the odd memories of dying, the nothing, and being born, theorized that she had been reincarnated in a new world. Yet somehow, she remained aware throughout the process. She assumed it had something to do with the bit of magic she possessed, even in her own world an oddity. As she was right now she couldn't confirm her theory; she was much too young to seek out the rest of this world to gather more data. So Skylar waited patiently, growing content with her new mother and her new life best she could.

* * *

It was on her way home from school, four years later, that her theory received both a disproving factor and a confirmation. The ten year old was walking home; Whale Island, as the land she lived in was called, was a tiny and homely place where everyone knew and trusted each other. So it was no issue children wandered alone, as there was always someone nearby, watching carefully over them.

She could see her little house in the distance, as well as her neighbor's home. Mito was standing outside, looking angry and snapping something at the short man in front of her. There was a toddler in her arms, asleep, with raven colored hair spiking off in all directions.

Skylar felt the world tip. For a moment, she was Ingrid again, and the world blurred out of focus around the child. Tingles fill her, from her scalp to her toes, and she is taken back to the day she took her Warden's Oath.

 _'Even here, the Oath still stands.'_ She watched the man walk away, frowning. She didn't realize she'd been walking closer until she could hear Mito's sniffles.

Abe was standing behind her granddaughter when Skylar approached them. "Ah, Skylar. Meet Gon, Mito's nephew." She took the toddler from a still Mito, who turned away and cried into her hands. "He's two years old. How many years younger than you does that make him?" Abe asked with a smile; the old woman was always quizzing the girl, sensing the intelligence in her and more than happy to help it bloom (even if the little quizzes were mediocre at most). "Eight." Skylar answered softly, looking up at the little boy.

The world seemed focused on him. She felt the tinlges in her scalp shift into a buzzing on her back as the shadows of marks that were never there ached. She rolled on the balls of her feet, sighing. Little Gon yawned and shifted closer into Abe's arms. Skylar wondered if the marks would return as he aged in passing as she tilted her head and watched the boy sleep.

It would seem, Skylar had concluded, that not even this new world would keep her from her Warden's Oath. She would have a Charge, and his name was Gon Freecss.


	2. Departure x And x Admonishments

Chapter 1

 _Departure x And x Admonishments_

* * *

The day had finally come.

They all knew it when Gon carried the Master of the Swamp into the center of town, the widest grin on his face. The islanders and fishermen gathered around the massive, flopping beast, they cooed in awe and shock at the sight. They all knew the deal he'd struck; catch the Master, and Mito would let him leave to take the Hunter Exam.

To be honest, Skylar had been dreading this day as much as Mito. She was prepared, of course, but she'd never seen the world beyond Whale Island and had no idea what to expect or what sort of situation the Hunter Exam would place Gon in. She wondered if this world had the same sort of dangers a Charge would have faced in her previous life. It seemed most of them did not exist here, but the threat of being hunted down was still very real.

"It's time to keep your promise, Aunt Mito!" Gon exclaimed happily, running up to Mito. Skylar watched from behind, hands on her hips. "I caught the Master, just like I said I would. So I can take the Hunter Exam, right?"

Mito couldn't say anything, merely squeeze her fists and look down in defeat. Gon's smile only seemed to grow brighter, if that was at all possible. "I'll do my best!" He bound past her, running up to Skylar. "Sky, Sky! I did it! I'm going to take the exam!" he was practically bouncing with excitement.

"I know, I know!" She laughed. "I guess that means you should go pack up, shouldn't you?"

"Yeah!" He ran off, leaving a sea of laughter in his wake. "Leave it to Gon!" A fisherman bellowed.

"Just like his old man!"

"He'll pass the Hunter Exam no problem!"

Mito's jaw clenched. Skylar gently placed a hand on her arm, smiling reassuringly at her long time neighbor. "Don't worry, Mito." She said gently. "I'll be going with him. I won't let him get in over his head."

Mito had tears in her eyes, and her lip seemed to quiver ever so slightly, but the little reassurance brought a small smile out and she nodded. "Thank you." She said gently.

The next day Skylar met Gon at the docks. She kissed her mother goodbye, promising to write, and promising Mito to remind Gon to write as well. Excited, Gon took her hand and dragged her up the gangplank and onto the awaiting ship, practically bouncing with each step. The board came up behind them and the sails were dropped. Gon ran to the edge of the deck.

"Bye everyone!" Gon called back to the port, where the islanders and fishermen and the people he and Skylar had known their whole lives waved and cheered. "I'm going to the be the best Hunter there is!"

Skylar leaned on the guardrail, smiling and waving goodbye. This would be her first time off the island; since she met Gon ten years ago, she'd spent most of her time chasing after the little boy all around the island wilderness. It was certainly one way to train, or at least that's what Skylar would remind herself when she had to deal with him leaping through trees and scaling cliffs in a matter of minutes.

Any time not chasing Gon had been spent either studying or meditating in some way. Before, in the time she was Ingrid, Skylar had been a Marine Biologist. She'd achieved her doctorate and had been researching life in both the coral seas of the tropics and in the deepest trenches. Here, Skylar spent any bit of free time she had to correlate her degree with this world's sciences.

She'd learned a lot about the oceans in this world and was delighted to discover she already knew a massive chunk of the currently published information. There were some names she had to relearn, classifications she had to jumble around, but it seemed the basic structure of the marine sciences were near identical. However, as she grew up and accelerated through the field, she discovered there was thousands more species in each classification than she had been used to.

Gon told her to use her Hunter License and become a Deep Sea Hunter once they passed. She was tempted to; being a Hunter could get her access to research tools and materials she could use to uncover things she'd only be able to dream about. But she could only be so far away from Gon for so long, and something like that would take her away for a long time. So whenever they spoke of it she would smile and say she didn't know what she wanted to do with her license just quite yet, and Gon, ever perceptive of her tone, would drop the subject.

Gon grabbed her arm, tugging her along the ship's deck. She vaguely heard some of the unsightly passengers make snide remarks about Gon's announcement and the Hunter Exam, but Gon was ignoring them, so she did too. "Let's go up there, Sky!" Gon pointed to the crow's nest. She shrugged. "Sure."

"Pathetic! What do you think you're doing, Katsuo?"

"You want to be a real sailor? Seriously?"

A pair of older, obviously veteran sailors kicked a younger, frailer looking boy carrying a crate of green apples to the hardwood floor, laughing. A stray fruit bounced across the boards. Gon watched, frowning; Skylar narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, you lot!" The captain came stumbling out, nursing a dark bottle. "Get back to work!"

Gon made down the stairs and scooped up the loose apple as the captain fussed at the frail sailor; Skylar watched carefully as he tossed the apple back into the crate with a friendly smile.

The seagulls cried obnoxiously overhead, drawing their attention.

"There's going to be a bad storm." Gon said. The captain blanched. "How do you know, boy?" He sounded skeptical. Gon pointed to the gulls as if it were a simple answer. "That's what the birds are saying." He pinched his nose. "Plus…"

Skylar threw her legs over the rail to the upper deck as Gon suddenly leaped up the mast, crawling into the crow's nest. "It's going to be a massive one! I can smell it!"

Skylar nudged the captain's arm. "I mean, if you look at the big cloud of doom ahead..." She pointed out. "It's pretty obvious."

The captain frowned at her before returning his attention to Gon. Skylar saw a glint of recognition in his eyes. She wondered if Gon's father had met this old man before.

* * *

"What a bunch of wimps. What happened to all that smack talk before?"

Gon passed Skylar, carrying a small handful of herbs. "Don't be mean, Sky!" he called. She stuck her tongue out.

Skylar had slung herself up in a hammock while she watched the majority of the passengers writhe in illness and pain. Seasickness, it seemed, would be the first test on the way to the Hunter Exam.

Gon helped a sailor tend to the sickly: the boy named Katsuo from earlier, if she remembered. Not being one to stand vomit, Skylar took to watching instead in of helping. (Plus, she didn't really like these people anyways.)

The captain peered in. She watched him observe the wannabe Hunter applicants in agony and the few who weren't; Gon, herself, the frail sailor boy, a young man in a suit, and an individual in another hammock reading a book (in all honesty Skylar couldn't pinpoint their gender and didn't want to make assumptions).

"You lot!" The captain bellowed suddenly. "To the bridge!"

Skylar swung out of the hammock and quickly fell into step with Gon as they clustered out. "Bet you we're in trouble." She said teasingly, taking his hand when she heard the harsh clap of thunder. Gon smiled. "Bet you we're not!"

The other two looked annoyed by the banter, but didn't comment.

On the bridge, the four of them lined up in front of the navigation desk. "First, what are your names?" The captain asked, smoke streaming from his pipe. Gon threw his hand up next to Skylar. "I'm Gon!" He exclaimed excitedly. She waved. "Skylar." She introduced.

The blond quipped out, "I'm Kurapika." The man in the suit, looking to be in a foul mood, stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's Leorio."

The captain puffed a cloud of smoke. "Tell me why do you want to become Hunters?"

"Oi!" Leorio pointed an accusing finger. "If you're not an examiner, you can't boss us around!"

"Just answer the question!"

Gon seemed to take the initiative first. "My dad is a Hunter!" He explained. "I left Whale Island because I want to become a Hunter so I can understand why he became one!"

Skylar clasped her hands behind her back. Gon patted her leg. "Your turn!"

"Well, at first it was to keep up with Gon." Skylar tapped her foot; she couldn't tell them about her Oath, but she could tell them the things she _wished_ she could do. "But having a Hunter's License could help me gain access to research materials and facilities I couldn't get to on my own. I could use it to discover new species in the ocean."

"Hey, you two!" Leorio snapped at them. "Don't answer to him!"

"Why not?" Gon asked. Skylar gave Leorio a sidelong glance as he sighed. "Not one for the team spirit, eh?"

Skylar rolled her eyes. "I agree with Leorio." Kurapika said, tone dull (the voice made Skylar think Kurapika a he). Leorio, to Skylar's surprise, took offense to the way Kurapika spoke. "Aren't I your elder? Show some respect!"

"It's simple to avoid the truth by offering a plausible lie; but it is quite shameful to rely upon deceit. In any case, to reveal my purpose to you would reveal my inner most secrets." In show of how dire the meaning of the words were, Kurapika clutched the spot over their (his?) Heart. Leorio barked about being ignored; he was ignored.

' _Someone's got a sticky backstory.'_ She made note to keep an eye on Kurapika. Something about him was slightly unsettling.

The captain stared the four of them down, expression hard. He looked over to the scraggly sailor. "Katsuo, tell the exam committee there'll two more dropouts."

 _That_ certainly got everyone's attention. "What?" Leorio looked momentarily frightened.

"Isn't it obvious? The Hunter Exam has already begun!" the captain boomed. "There are as many Hunter wannabes as there are stars in the sky. The examiners don't have the time or the resources to test all of them, so they hire people like us to trim out the weaklings. Everyone on board this ship is too weak to continue; if a little storm like this knocks them over, they won't survive the later legs of the Hunter Exam." The captain smirked. "If you don't pass my test, you don't finish the Exam. So, are you gonna answer my question?"

Leorio made a noise like something between a scoff and a choke. "Should have told us that sooner." He grumbled, shoulders hunched.

"I am the last surviving member of the Kurta clan."

Everyone's attention snapped to Kurapika. "My entire clan was wiped out by a band of thieves. The Phantom Troupe. I'm going to hunt them down to avenge my family."

"The Phantom Troupe, huh? That's a Class A bounty. Not even the most rugged of Hunters chase after them." The captain stroked his beard thoughtfuly.

"I don't care how long it takes or hard the task is. My only fear is that my rage calms over time." Skylar saw Kurapika's eyes flash scarlet for a brief second; she was glad she stood between him and Gon. Leorio scoffed. "So you want to be a bounty hunter? Why would that require a Hunters Liscense? Seems unnecessary."

"That's one of the stupidest questions I've ever heard, Leorio." Kurapika said calmly. Leorio started to bark about respecting his elders, but Kurapika continued. "A Hunter's Liscense grants access to to places, resources, information that you could not obtain otherwise...there are more reasons than your brain can comprehend."

Leorio looked ready to

"Leorio, it's your turn!" Gon said, unphased by the heaviness Kurapika's tale left in the air. Leorio scoffed. "What I want is simple." He said haughtily. "Money! Money can get you anything and everything in this world! A big house, a nice car, the best booze!" He boasted. Skylar rolled her eyes. "Saw that one coming…" She mumbled.

"Money can't buy class, Leorio." Kurapika clipped, sounding just as haughty as Leorio.

Leorio scowled. "You…" He spun on his heel towards the door. "Step outside. That's three times you've insulted me now. I'm going to wipe out the filthy Kurta bloodline for good."

Skylar and Gon winced. Kurapika took exception to that. "Leorio, you take that back right now!" He demanded, voice tight. Skylar pulled Gon a step back, out of the way.

Leorio stepped out of the bridge, glancing back at Kurapika. "No." He said simply. Kurapika chased after him. The captain stepped after them. "Oi, you two-"

"Let them go."

The captain and Katsuo focused on Gon, who watched the door intently. "Mito taught me it's important to understand why someone's angry when you're upset with them. So just let them hash it out." Gon smiled widely.

Skylar made a cooing noise, reaching down and wrapping her arms around him. "Look at you, all wise beyond your years and smart!" She teased. Gon whined. "Sky, let go-"

"Captain!" The shipmate at the helm stuttered. "Look!"

A waterspout loomed close ahead, a dancing vortex of vicious winds and the waters they swallowed. "If we get caught in that waterspout, we'll sink!" Katsuo breathed in panicked breaths. The captain barked the order to lower the sails.

"We'll help!" Gon declared, freed of Skylar's grasp. She was already tying up her hair, knotting the long blond locks with a stringy piece of leather. They chased after Katsuo and stumbled out on the deck.

The crew was already starting to drop the sails, panicked but controlled as they pulled on the long ropes to crumple the fabric sails. Skylar stayed close to Gon, standing a few lengths ahead of him tugging a separate line. The winds were strong enough to pick men up throw them. The rain made the boards slick and the ropes slippy. The rocking of the ship was dangerously close to near tossing everyone off the deck.

The conditions didn't help the fact that Skylar's team was having no luck. "It's caught on the mast!" A crewman shouted, over the torrent and waves. They spotted the rope they pulled, tangled around a set of wooden rungs tightly. Skylar dropped her end of the rope.

"I'll get it free, you pull!" She ordered, before peeling off her coat and tossing it to the wind. She braced herself, taking a few good steps, before springing herself up the lines and latching onto the mast with her legs.

The wind was strong and the rain was harsh, but Skylar worked with quick and deft fingers. The line came free quickly and she was relieved when the sail's corner fell in.

The wind and rain went silent; all sound suddenly died out in a rush. Her ears were filled with the sounds of clanging bells and her breath felt like boiling water in her throat. Adrenaline spiked in her system and her body was on high alert. Skylar felt a shadow of Ingrid and the ghost of marks not on her skin any longer burning with an intensity beyond pain. This was familiar. This was her duty and job. This was the warning she had once called the Admonishment, but now she didn't know what to call it (she figured the old name would do).

Skylar whipped around, still hanging off the mast, and was able to just watch Gon leap off the ship after Katsuo, into the angry sea below. She couldn't scream, she couldn't move anywhere but towards him. She released the mast and rocketed down to the deck.

When Kurapika and Leorios' hands clasped around Gon's ankles, the Admonishing left. Skylar slammed against the deck and felt her shoulder burn at the awkward landing, but she stumbled to her feet and threw herself towards Gon, eyes wide and panicked. She snatched him by the collar and pulled him against her, indirectly helping Kurapika and Leorio drag Gon and Katsuo (unconscious at this time) on deck.

Skylar held him so close she could feel his pulse against her arms. She'd forgotten. She'd been so content here, she's forgotten the ramifications of the Oath. She'd forgotten how when her Charge came across life-threatening danger, her body would essentially shut down anything except the essential functions to _protect_ and to _save._ She dislocated her shoulder when she hit the deck; she could feel the joint and the bone awkwardly positioned and the burning pain from it.

Skylar held Gon close despite the pain. She couldn't risk Gon coming to harm like this again. She had to stay with him; if the Hunters Exam brought on this much peril and it _hasn't even started yet_ , she didn't want to consider what would happen during the _actual_ exam.

* * *

"You're out of your mind!"

Skylar held Gon in her lap, arms still tightly crossed around him (awkwardly so now that her left arm was in a sling) as they sat on the deck. The storm had passed; sunlight kissed her skin lovingly and yet harshly at the same time. "You could have died if we hadn't caught you!" Leorio continued, fussing.

Skylar didn't bother to hide the seething look. If they hadn't caught him, she would have. And then she would have killed them for letting him slip by like that.

She tuned out what they said after Gon's response. She didn't care to hear it right now. Skylar rested her head against Gon's and listened to her own breathing. She calmed herself at the sound. ' _Easy, now. Steady, now.'_

She vaguely heard the captain's laughter, mentioning he'd take the four of them to the exam site. Gon scrambled to his feet. "What about your test?" He asked excitedly.

The captain, halfway up the steps, glanced over his shoulder. "It's my decision to make." He said firmly. "And you all pass!"

Gon let out a cheer, jumping with excitement. Skylar smiled, pushing herself up off the deck. "We did it! We passed the first test, Sky!" Gon exclaimed. She winked. "Of course we did. We're awesome."

Skylar could only guess Gon wanted to travel with Kurapika and Leorio, judging by the way he gravitated towards them as they got comfortable on deck. Her first impression of the two of them was rather unfavorable, but if Gon was so ready to befriend, she'd get over it.

Besides, it looked like having friends was a good idea if you wanted to pass the Hunters Exam.

* * *

 _Author's note: Perhaps the writing isn't as strong here, but dialogue has a habit of breaking the flow of my writing. Anyways, I'm sorry for the delay! I work long hours and I just started my summer semester so I'm writing every free moment I get._


	3. The x Exam x Begins

"Not a very friendly looking crowd."

Skylar stood behind Gon when they entered the meeting grounds for the Hunter Exam. The space was dark and dreary; pipes and dim lighting seemed to set a dark mood, adding to the tense environment. Skylar didn't like it; she wanted to tear off her sling. She felt like it made her a target, made her vulnerable.

"Here, please take a number!" The creature that handed her a disk labeled 406 was green and plump, reminding her of a bean. "Keep them on your chests at all times. Don't lose them!"

Skylar pinned the badge to her jacket and secured her satchel on her uninjured shoulder. Maybe she was just paranoid, but she thought for the barest of moments she felt every eye in the room on her. A quick glance around had her inch closer to Gon; there were almost no women, and the men who she could see were giving the boy a look that said he was easy bait.

If only they knew.

Skylar tapped her foot, and felt something stir in her. This was a battlefield. A real, set battlefield. She hadn't set foot on one since her death. It was...refreshing. Battle was in her blood, war was in her nature. She'd never needed to stir herself before. But here, in the place where lives would be lost, she felt her skin crawl with anticipation and _excitement_. She hadn't realized how she'd _longed_ for the crunching blow of _combat._

She bounced on her toes. Now she was thoroughly excited.

(She ignored the way her skin seered and how something inky and black formed under her clothes.)

A short, round man ended up in front of them and rattled off his name (Tonka, Tonpa, something like that) some malarkey about friendship and started talking about the exam, and pointing out recurring applicants. Skylar didn't really listen; she could smell this man's bad intentions from a mile away.

A man screamed, and she whipped around to watch, eyes wide with excitement. A man dressed like a gladiator of all things was on his knees, his arms dissipating before him and swirling off into tiny red flowers. Before him was a tall, colorful man, dressed in white and with blown back red hair. He simply _radiated_ a lust for blood and violence, and it made Skylar's very _bones_ itch to watch him _fight._

"My, how unusual. It seems this man's arm have become flowers! Now you see them, now you don't!" He said, voice low and alluring. "You should be careful when you bump into someone and _apologize."_

"Aw, great, that psychopath is back." Tonka Truck (that was his name, right) said, scowling. "Who is he?" Gon asked, clutching his pack straps. "Number forty-four. Hisoka the Magician. Last year he was the top pick for passing the exam, until he almost killed an examiner he didn't _approve_ of."

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Leorio exclaimed. "They're letting him back here after doing something like that?!"

"Of course." Fat Tomcat said. "The exam gets new examiners every year, and they decide each what the tests will be. The devil himself could pass the exam if the examiners said so. That's just how it works."

Skylar watched Hisoka walk away from the armless man. "No one likes Hisoka. I'd keep my distance if I were you."

She rocked on her toes. Some part of her - the part _not_ bound to protect Gon, the wild and dangerous part - wanted to follow Hisoka's trail of carnage with delight. Instead, she brushed her fingers across Gon's shoulders.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Tree Rat (now she was just giving him stupid names for the hell of it) dug through his bag and produced a cluster of orange juice cans. "Here! Let's toast to friendship!"

Skylar made a choking laugh sound, but accepted a can when Gon did anyways. She awkwardly cracked it open, and hesitated to drink it. It smelled like juice, but the afterthought of a smell, slight and underlying, reminded her of laxatives. Before she could stop him, Gon took a sip. Then he spat it out.

"Mister Tonpa," so that was his name, "I think your juice went bad! It tastes really bad."

Leorio dramatically spat the juice out and wiped his mouth. "What?! Jeez, what the heck!"

Kurapika poured out the juice in a deliberate show. Skylar just tossed it over her shoulder. She didn't miss the way Tonpa's expression twitched, the way his brows pinched and his fists tightened.

He clapped his hands together in an apology. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it had gone bad!"

"It's ok! Is your stomach alright?" Gon asked. Skylar smiled and poked his cheek. "How sweet of you, asking the is the bloke who gave you bad juice is alright." Gon swatted her hand away.

"Yes, my stomach is fine!" Tonpa said sheepishly.

"Good! I've had all kinds of herbs and grasses from the mountains back home, so I can't usually taste when something's off." Gon smiled.

"Like laxatives, for instance." Skylar noted absently. Kurapika shot her a look.

Tonpa flinched. "Man, I'm so sorry again. I'll just - see you guys around!" He made a hasty retreat, and Skylar didn't miss the way he glared at them when he turned.

"How boring." Skylar said dully. "If this is the biggest sort of back-stabbary that's going to happen here this is going to be dull."

"He said he didn't know it was bad, Sky! Don't be mean." Gon scolded.

Skylar knelt and pinched his cheek. "Of course, of course. Just stick close to me, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

It didn't take long, but a little while later, there was something like an alarm going off, and the far wall shifted and lifted from the ground. It revealed a long, long corridor, and a single man, standing in a pressed suit and holding a dangling head-shaped alarm.

"I apologize for the wait." He tucked away the little head and Skylar sensed a change in the air. "The entry period for hunter applicants has closed. Without further adue, this year's hunter exam has begun."

Skylar shifted on her boots, bouncing eagerly. Everyone else shifted in readiness.

"A word of caution; if you are short on luck, or lacking in skill, the chances of you being severely injured or even killed are great. If you are willing to accept these risks, you may follow me. If you wish to leave now, please exit using the elevator behind you." The man said. No one moved. "Very well, then. All four-hundred-and-five applicants will now participate in phase one."

He spun around and began to march ahead, walking odd and straight. Skylar walked closely to Gon. "I didn't think anyone would leave, but I kinda wish a few had ducked out." Leorio complained. Skylar shrugged.

The crowd began to pick up speed, from a walk to a jog, from a jog to a run. Skylar kept her injured arm tucked against her, frowning. Running steadily, she had a sneaking suspicion that the exam was going to be something ridiculous, like endurance, and this was it.

The man in the suit way up front introduced himself as Satotz, and confirmed her suspicions. This was the First Phase.

"An endurance test is right up my ally! Keep on running, pal! I'm right behind you." Leorio grinned cockly.

Skylar smiled. "Faster faster, faster faster, there's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going…" She sang, laughing to herself. She didn't remember where the reference was from, but it made her feel...happy. Gon looked at her oddly, but kept running.

Hours of running passed. People began to drop, slowly but surely, like flies. Leorio and Kurapika were both sweating. Skylar kept pace with Gon, pleased with the fact that she was barely winded. She heard someone wail in defeat, far behind, and rolled her eyes.

A small, white haired boy who was near Gon's age rolled by on a skateboard. Her nose twitched; honestly, that probably would be far more comfortable than running, but she couldn't judge. They didn't say you _had_ to run.

"Hey! Brat!" Leorio roared. "Show some respect! You can't ride on that skateboard! It's an endurance test!"

"No it's not." Gon quipped; he wasn't affected in the slightest by the running, and she felt some pride in seeing that. "The examiner never said we had to follow on foot."

"You're so clever!" She teased. "He's right, Leorio. Don't yell at kids, that horrible."

"Whose side are you on, you jerks?!" Leorio snapped, as the skateboard user rolled back towards her and Gon. "Hey," he asked Gon, "how old are you?"

"I'm twelve!" Gon pipped. She gathered that she and the kid were the same age. The boy regarded Gon carefully for a moment, before kicking his skateboard up and catching it, smoothly never losing pace. Skylar and Gon made sounds of aw at the same time."That's cool!" Gon cheered.

The boy smiled. "I'm Killua." He said.

"I'm Gon!" Gon pointed to Skylar. "This is Skylar."

"Sup, kid." She waved with her good hand. Killua looked at her sling with a frown. "You're taking the exam with an injury?"

She shrugged. "It's just an arm. I've got one free, that's good enough for me." She smiled, and heard Leorio whine something about jerks ahead. "Sky's really tough! One time she punched a foxbear in the face while she ate breakfast!" Gon pat her leg.

"It was just a sandwich, Gon." She corrected, pleased that he bolstered her almost as proudly as she did him. Killua quirked a brow. "What's a foxbear?"

"It a big, mean looking animal." She said absently. Killua accepted her answer and they continued to run at a steady pace.

She was mildly surprised the other boy was as unwinded as Gon and she for the next few hours. Dozens of other applicants were passed on their way, fallen into sweaty heaps on the ground. Skylar could smell the sweat in the air and it was, quite frankly, a disgusting smell.

Leorio began to fall far behind. Gon slowed; when Leorio stopped, he did too.

Killua and Skylar stopped ahead. She watched Gon regard Leorio carefully, before shaking her head. He'd get up in a few moments, and she didn't really feel like waiting around. "Gon, I'm going ahead. You and Killua catch up when Leorio catches his breath, alright?" He didn't respond, but she knew he heard, and she took off ahead.

She was bored with seeing everyone's backsides, and quite frankly, was in the mood for a bit of a challenge. So she took of running hard and fast, weaving through the struggling masses and hitting the stairs before half the group could catch up. She could see Satotz far ahead, and wondered if she could keep up directly next to him, so that's where she ran.

The cluster of people up front were odd looking and colorful. There were warriors and geniuses, and she was excited to see how they fared in combat. She ducked past a tall, clackering man with pins in his body (she got chills when she did) and she spotted the Magician, Hisoka. She felt a sliver of excitement from her toes to her ears at the sight of him, but smiled and kept her mouth shut as she passed.

Right as she reached the very front, Satotz picked up the pace. She frowned, and stayed with the group. This pace was much faster, and she didn't know how much farther they had to run. She wouldn't push herself.

Eventually, there was light ahead. "Finally! We can get out of this dark tunnel!" Someone behind exclaimed. Skylar glanced back just in time to see Gon and Killua suddenly sprint past her. "Hey-" She exclaimed, grinning. "Wait up, you brats!" She hurried after them.

The two finished together, in first place, and Skylar caught up a few moments later. The air was cool and clean and smelled of murky water. "Oh, sweet sunlight!" she sighed in relief, collapsing dramatically between the two boys. "I thought for certain I'd perish down there! Oh, Gon!" She latched onto him with her good arm and hung heavily on him. "Sky, get off!" Gon laughed.

"Oh, merciful day, how you grace me so!" She wailed, as the other applicants passed them and out into the open. A few frowned at her antics, but no one commented.

Skylar ended up sitting with Gon in her lap next to Killua, waiting for Leorio and Kurapika and for the exam to continue. They weren't through with the first phase, meaning they had to run through the swamp ahead on them and it was going to be disgusting.

She didn't pay attention to much else, zoning out and resting herself for more running. The door closed behind them, Satotz began to talk abou the swamp, and some dirty and grimy man came hollering about how Satotz was a fake or whatever. Skylar yawned - how boring - and then immediately perked up when blood came spuritng from the dirty man's body and Satotz caught handful of playing cards. Gon scrambled out of her lap.

Hisoka shuffled a deck, chuckling. "I see, I see." He said coolly, looking at Satotz. "That settles it. You _are_ the real examiner."

Skylar glanced at the body, and back to Satotz, who tossed aside the cards.

"The examiners are Hunters, hand picked by the exam committee to do this job without pay. Anyone who holds the title we're all vying for ourselves should easily be able to deflect that attack."

Skylar leaned forward. That meant that Hunters were serious warriors, and the thrilling prospect of seeing some serious battle excited her.

"Thank you for your confirmation. However, should you attack me again for any reason, I will be forced to report you to the committee and have you disqualified for attacking an examiner." Satotz said calmly. Buzzards came and picked at the body of Hisoka's victim.

She watched Hisoka with an almost eager expression. Oh, she was eager to watch him in a real, honest-to-the-gods bloodbath. At the moment, he was the only one who presented any sort of power, and it was absolutely enticing.

Hisoka glanced at her in passing; he didn't miss the anticipation in her eyes.


End file.
